Beckham helps Galaxy claim victory

David Beckham helped the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls in his return to the Major League Soccer team after a five-month loan to Italys AC Milan.

The Galaxy took a 3-0 halftime lead at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, through goals by Alecko Eskandarian, Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis. Midfielder Beckham was replaced after 70 minutes by Chris Birchall.

Beckham, who missed the first 17 games of the season, said two days before the game that a spat between the England international and Donovan was over. The 34-year-old Beckham called Donovan unprofessional for questioning his commitment to the team and MLS in the book The Beckham Experiment, which was released July 14.

Eskandarian put the Galaxy ahead in the third minute with a 20-yard (9 meter) shot and Donovan doubled the advantage after 31 minutes with another 20-yard strike. Lewis made it 3-0 in the final minute of the first half, striking Donovans cross first time into the goal from the edge of the penalty area.

The Red Bulls completed the scoring three minutes from the end through a penalty kick by Juan Pablo Angel.

The win moved Los Angeles into third place in the western standings, four points behind leader Houston, which has played a game less. The Red Bulls are last in the seven-team eastern standings.

Beckham signed a five-year contract with the Galaxy in January 2007 worth a reported $5.5 million annually.